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TWU investigating allegations against Victorian secretary
By Nick McKenzie
The Transport Workers Union is investigating allegations made against Victorian state secretary Mem Suleyman.
In a statement, the union said that on late Friday it “became aware of allegations regarding its Victorian secretary”.
Transport Workers Union Victoria secretary Mem Suleyman (middle).
“The TWU strives for the highest levels of governance,” the union said in the statement.
“The union is not yet in a position to assess the allegations and is seeking further clarity over the weekend.”
Details of the allegations have not yet been aired. Suleyman has been contacted for comment.
Suleyman was notified on Friday that he was being stood down pending an investigation.
The development comes amid a dramatic reshaping of the union movement in Victoria.
Powerful construction union boss John Setka resigned last month after facing separate allegations – revealed by this masthead, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes – about misconduct involving him and the CFMEU.
Health Services Union secretary Diana Asmar is this week facing calls to step aside while unrelated claims against her, published by this masthead on Tuesday, are investigated. She strenuously denies the allegations.
The three union powerbrokers each maintained networks throughout the Labor Party, whose members are now set to realign to other union and political leaders.
Suleyman’s sister is Natalie Suleyman, who is a minister in Victoria’s Allan Labor government.
The TWU is a central faction within the Right-aligned Labor Unity grouping, which shares power with the Left under a stability deal.
Suleyman, hailed as a “skilled negotiator” and “fearless fighter” on a since-deleted union webpage, is a significant figure in the TWU.
He was appointed to a national negotiator role by the union in 2017 for enterprise agreement negotiations with Ceva Logistics, and then in 2021 led national negotiations and strikes at StarTrack, according to the union.
Suleyman also negotiated jobs for stood-down flight attendants in the Victorian hotel quarantine program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was appointed assistant national secretary of the union’s Victoria/Tasmania branch in 2021, and then re-elected for a four-year-term in December 2022 alongside branch secretary Mike McNess.
Following Suleyman’s re-election in 2022, national union secretary Michael Kaine said: “It’s been a tumultuous few years for transport workers, but the team headed by Mike McNess and Mem Suleyman has gone above and beyond to stand side-by-side with workers.”
With Cassandra Morgan